Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-14

the ewes of children to the value Of
money in general, and that of certain
commodities in particular. 1t would
enable teacher and pupils to make
original problems; and all this without
special effort and waste of time. 1t
would, so to speak, link the school and
! its daily work with life and its great
tasks and demands.
l was young boy when heard one
of the greatest living teachers pro-
nounce this truth; Though the ship
/ of school lies at anchor in the harbor
far away from the turmoil and strife of
/ life, it nevertheless will be heaved and
rocked by the ripples which are caused
by the great waves and pillows IN the
open sea-" Let us be practical. The
problem in which a barrel of flour is
said to cost $500, can aid the pupil in
acquiring arithmetical skill just as
effectually as one in which that barrel
of flour is quoted at 3 cents, or 10
cents, or 20 cents, or 500. Lately
took occasion to inquire into the effect
of the procedure suggested, and |
found it to be very beneficial. l found
that one problem put on the board
served as model. The numbers were
/ erased and others were substituted as
the fluctuations Of the market dictated.
found this practice in use MS low rs
the fifth school year, where the pupils
had just learned the more intricate
tables of denominate numbers.
found that they knew the current
prices of various kinds of coffee, of
sugar, rice, cheese, -four, and the like.
Bnt what pleased me most was the
deep interest shown by the pupils in
their work, for, interest acts upon the
learner like sunshine and moisture
upon the vegetable germ in the ground.
Il. x. Kle7anl, IN. d., Hamilton. Ohio.
NOTES.
Do you love the schoolroomp IL
not, how can you expect the child to
love it?
Do not direct the best minds much,
if any, in their work. There are pupils
in every school who are willing, who
have keen, native instinct for doing
the best with their brains, and the most
you can 90 for some Of these is to do
them no harm.
1t is not often that we see rare cut
flowers in the schoolroGm. and when
we do, we are impressed with their
influence. We recently saw n vase of
rose buds, pinks, tulips, and hyacinths
| in grammar schoolroom, and the
pupils appreciated tle honor done them
as much rs any housewife would whose
table they might have Graccd at a din
ner party.
However perfect the ventilation of
the schOolroam, there are times when
the windows have 10 be rcsorted to,
and there is danger OF a dr5ught under
such circumstances. This ia renlcdicd
| in some buildings where there are
double windows. by having the outer
raised or open at tbc bottom and the
inner at the top, when there c'n be no
draught Of any serious character.
1t is the buoyancy Of the birds
frame that gives buoyancy to her song,
SO is il the bnpyanry % character that
gives the buoyancy Of joy; aud if we
would gladden. The hearts aud brighteu
the lives of the men and women into
whom our pupils Of to-day are 70 de-
velop, we must do il by giving the
greatest sire 9TH to the character, with
the least wr ght Of needless form,
ceremony, and superstition.
Teach toe boys ard girls, above
twelve especially, 10 rccitc and read ms
though they must impress what they
say or express upon their mates. Hold
them responsible for holding the atten-
ton Of the class.
Go slow in doing away entirely with
the drawing of map-outlines. There
is no question but that it has been
abused. Much valuable time has been
wasted in perfecting these outlines,
| initiating the waves, etc, but there is
certain value in knowing the general
outline Of the continents in a way that
they can only be known by rapid
drawing.
Magnify the biographical element in
teaching history sufficiently to give a
feeling of acquaintance with every
prominent historic character. We re-
Gently heard the pupils in grammar
school recite upon William PENIS in
fiuence in settling America, in way
to show great familiarity with his work
and character. We found that the
teacher had read to them selections
upon the man, and had loaned and re-
ferred them to books until they were
all aglow with knowledge and interest.
The first class in a grammar school
in Manchester had n history exercise
of special merit, one into which we en-
tered MS heartily as the pupils. The
history Of the late war was under con-
sideration. and different pupils took
up the connection of some one man
with the war, giving running account
of the war as one man was linked with
it. The characters thus treated were,
Johnson, Sherman, Lee, Grant, etc.
This gives a new and fresh view Of ths
war, which is too frequently merely a
dissecting Of the war into years
Jo1rno2 Of Education.